Archinect - News

How New York City is approaching EV charging

2024-05-03T10:41:00-04:00

Since 2021, 100 new curbside chargers have been added across all five boroughs. Jockeying for space alongside parking meters, LinkNYC kiosks, and bus shelters on public sidewalks, they are part of a pilot partnership between the Department of Transportation, Con Edison, and Flo, an EV charging system operator. In the outer-borough neighborhoods that lack the robust EV infrastructure of Manhattan’s Central Business District, these chargers are proving quite popular.

In an interview with Urban Omnibus managing editor Kevin Ritter, New York City Department of Transportation officials Will Carry and Luis Gonzalez outlined the city's vision for creating a comprehensive electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The department has recently launched a curbside charging pilot program across the city's boroughs, which has proven popular with users.

"In Europe, they’ve reached a point in the market development where cities are making net revenue from these chargers," Carry said. "We’re not there in New York, but at some point there is the potential for this to contribute to the city’s general fund."

Dodger Stadium gondola plan gains LA Metro Board approval

2024-02-24T08:00:00-05:00

The LA Metro Board of Directors has given their final go-ahead for a controversial gondola project in Los Angeles that would offer an alternative transportation route from downtown Union Station to Dodger Stadium to baseball fans by the start of the 2028 Summer Olympics. The board voted unanimously in favor of the final version of the plan’s Environmental Impact Report on Thursday.

As was pointed out by LAist, the proposal still needs approvals from Los Angeles City Council, Caltrans, and California State Parks to begin construction. The Metro’s decision came with a steep set of 31 conditions, which include a fund for affordable housing plus marketing opportunities and other concessions directed to small business owners in Elysian Park and Chinatown.

The proposal is marketed as being able to transport a total of 5,000 people per hour on a 7-minute ride with three stations along a 1.2-mile path. The Dodgers say this will reduce traffic by 3,000 cars for each of their 81 home games pe...

Driverless taxis are about to hit Los Angeles. How will Waymo's impact affect the city's changing streetscape?

2022-10-25T13:55:00-04:00

The company has been mapping Los Angeles using human drivers since 2019. Next, a spokesman said, trained drivers will test out Waymo’s robot taxi service on L.A.-area highways and neighborhood thoroughfares, with runs downtown, along the Miracle Mile and in Koreatown, Santa Monica and West Hollywood.

Waymo has already eked out footholds in Phoenix and San Francisco and will need a permit from the California Public Utilities Commission to expand its West Coast operations into what it says is a now $2 billion market.

The Public Utilities hurdle and technically complicated mapping process aside, Waymo’s eventually-expanded commercial fleet could arrive in line with a host of other transportation changes that LA is enacting ahead of the 2028 Olympics, especially near Downtown. The question of whether potentially adding thousands of EVs to its clogged roads and freeways remains the ever-larger existential factor, and opponents argue their presence undermines efforts at pedestrianization and funding for micromobility alternatives central to state and city plans despite demographic factors that are also in the company's favor.

Earlier on Archinect: What it means to add 20,000 Waymo self-driving robot taxis to America's roads

"If we want to change the car culture in Los Angeles, we need ...

Autonomous vehicles in urgent need of regulation, says urban research group

2022-10-11T11:50:00-04:00

The Urban Institute has warned that the proliferation of autonomous vehicles in the United States needs to be met by regulations at the federal, state, and local level to ensure equity and environmental sustainability. The non-profit group, which describes its role as inspiring “effective decisions that advance fairness and enhance the well-being of people and places,” set out their position in a 78-page report published this week.

“The mobility system in the United States is unsafe, inequitable, and environmentally destructive,” the report says. “Autonomous vehicles (AVs) — self-driving cars that can travel along publicly accessible streets some or all of the time without human involvement — could help mitigate these problems, if they are implemented in a thoughtful, well-regulated manner.”

Archinect Feature: Smog City: The Fight Against Urban Air Pollution

According to the group, fully autonomous vehicles would “in theory” offer a positive step for the future of transportation, poi...

LA to launch first 'Transportation Technology Innovation Zone'

2020-11-23T12:56:00-05:00

Mayor Eric Garcetti announced last week the city’s first Transportation Technology Innovation Zone, an area where innovators can test their transportation technology solutions. Located in the West San Fernando Valley, the zone is the result of a partnership between Mayor Garcetti and City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, "designed to transform Warner Center into one of L.A.’s mobility innovation and workforce development hubs."

"Transportation and technology each have the ability to connect communities, create jobs, and contribute to progress on sustainability, equity, and economic growth — and Los Angeles takes pride in serving as a testing ground for dynamic and innovative mobility solutions," said Mayor Garcetti in his announcement. "The first-ever Transportation Technology Innovation Zone will unite local businesses, workers, and inventors around how to revolutionize mobility in the West Valley, and it will serve as a model for what’s possible as more zones come online in areas ac...

Personal car use will drop 10% by 2030, study says

2020-02-14T14:55:00-05:00

Private car travel will decline in the world's largest cities by 10% over the next decade, according to a study from research consultancy firm Kantar, revealed this week at the UN-Habitat World Urban Forum. Based on the survey, Kantar predicts greener means of transport will represent nearly half (50%) of all trips taken in cities in 2030, with cycling to increase globally by 18%, walking to increase by 15% and public transit use to increase by 6%.

According to Smart Cities Dive, the UN-Habitat World Urban Forum surveyed 20,000 city dwellers across 31 cities to better understand how their preferred methods of travel might change over the next decade. The10 cities that will see the biggest change in green transport are Manchester, England; Moscow; Sao Paulo; Paris; Johannesburg; Guangzhou, China; Milan; Montreal; Amsterdam and Shanghai, Smart Cities Dive reports.

Is Texas ready to stop building highways?

2020-01-20T16:08:00-05:00

“The bottom line is this: The way people get around, the way people live is going to change,” [Texas Governor Greg] Abbott said, according to the Rivard Report. “As a result, this generation of roads that [Texas Transportation Commission Chairman] Bruce Bugg is in charge of building is probably the last major buildout of roads we’ll have in the state of Texas, even considering the fact that Texas is the fastest-growing state in America.”

Might Texas finally end its long-running love affair with highway infrastructure? According to the state's Governor, Greg Abbot, it's a possibility.

In a recent speech, Abbot, who is a Republican, expressed doubt that the state's current transportation regime can last much longer as the desire for urban living, housing affordability, and other factors counterbalance the practicality of the seemingly limitless highway networks currently in operation there.

But don't mistake the prediction as an intention to support the development of mass transit infrastructure. Instead of busways and rail lines, which the governor thinks should be funded locally, Abbot envisions flying cars as a potential transportation solution for the state's future growth.

May Mobility and Toyota lead push for autonomous transport to further 'Mobility for All' efforts

2019-12-11T11:20:00-05:00

Ann Arbor-based autonomous Transportation-as-a-Service (TaaS) provider May Mobility and Toyota are taking steps forward to realize their mission to transform cities through autonomous transport. With demand rising, Toyota has led a new round of funding of $50 million that will aid the TaaS provider in expanding their vehicle fleet and hire more people.

May Mobility is currently focusing on the US first-mile-last-mile transportation market, primarily the urban core areas with its current fleet of electric vehicles having already provided over 170,000 revenue-generating rides. The company is also growing its enterprise service with public and private customers in Detroit, MI, Grand Rapids, MI, and Providence, RI.

"By working together, we hope to accelerate our efforts at Toyota aimed towards realizing 'Mobility for All'," said Keiju Yamamoto, Toyota Operating Officer and President of Toyota's in-house Connected Company. With the Toyota Mobility Foundation, the auto giant has invested...

HDR to aid Florida's connected and automated vehicle technology plan

2019-09-03T14:00:00-04:00

HDR will serve as the general engineering consultant to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to help implement the state's commitment to the development of connected and automated vehicle technology (CAV).

"Among HDR’s key responsibilities will be implementing the state’s recently developed CAV business plan, meant to move Florida’s CAV efforts from planning phases and pilot projects to full-scale statewide deployment," writes the organization in a press release.

The hope is that CAV technologies will improve travel for state residents, reduce highway accidents, improve travel time, and increase overall mobility.

Elon Musk's Boring Company challenges the Las Vegas Monorail

2019-08-02T18:43:00-04:00

In May, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority approved a $48.7 million contract for The Boring Company (TBC) to design and build a short underground transit system at the city’s Convention Center, using Tesla electric vehicles running through narrow tunnels.

The Boring Company (TBC) has submitted construction drawings for their new tunnel system in Las Vegas. The plan is to "construct one pedestrian tunnel, two 0.8-mile vehicle tunnels and three underground stations, as well as modify and test seven-seater Tesla cars to carry up to 16 people," reports TechCrunch.

The Las Vegas Monorail has expressed concerns regarding the new project. According to Monorail CEO Curtis Myles, "the proposed underground people mover system intersects our existing system route, and it appears the presented tunnel alignment interferes with our existing columns for the Las Vegas Monorail system and creates significant concern regarding both vertical and lateral loads."

After some back and forth, TBC must now have "regular coordination" with the Monorail and the city's Public Works department. In the end, TBC will become a direct competitor to the Monorail.

A call for cities to own the curb as transit startups invade the streets

2018-06-15T17:14:00-04:00

With more options that ever for getting around cities, and finite space, the question of how we use this infrastructure, and who controls it, is more important than ever. By regulating how these new transportation options evolve, cities can potentially bring about a more sustainable, multimodal, and less car-centric transit future.

Our city curbs are transportation battles for space in the flow of traffic. While private tech startups are producing popular transportation solutions, such as Bird's electric scooters, the city is the one paying to build and maintain these public spaces. An upswing in dockless vehicles has far reaching potentials for cities to achieve sustainable goals, if they can reassert their ownership.

Driverless Future Challenge finalists envision autonomous transit solutions for NYC

2017-06-28T14:39:00-04:00

With the rise of autonomous transportation technology in the U.S., what implementable strategies can help a dense urban landscape like New York City prepare efficiently for a driverless future? Design teams from around the world proposed their ideas in the Driverless Future Challenge, organized by Blank Space (the creators of the Fairy Tales Architecture Competition) and the City of New York.

Participants from over 25 countries sent proposals that ranged from driverless food cards to using NYC's 311 system as a driverless dispatching center. Now, the jury has selected the four finalist teams.

Find each proposal below — plus project videos!

“Public Square” by FXFOWLE Architects with Sam Schwartz Engineering

“Public Square” by FXFOWLE Architects with Sam Schwartz Engineering. Image courtesy of Blank Space.

Project summary: “Public Square provides New York City an adaptable, responsive, and environmentally friendly way to rethink its streets and reclaim space for pedestrians. Public Squ...

Canada's 24,000 km Great Trail to complete next year, but is already falling short of expectations

2016-09-07T13:32:00-04:00

When it hits its completion date, which is expected to be in time for Canada’s 150th birthday next July 1, it will cover about 24,000 kilometres...But some think The Trans Canada Trail is better in concept than in execution...Some early adopters of the trail...claim that some parts of it are off limits to bicycles while other parts are spread out and hard to actually access.

Since construction began in 1992, the Trans Canada Trail — which is now being promoted as The Great Trail — is 87 percent complete. Organizers of the recreational trail claim that Canadians will be able to use the route from coast to coast once it's complete next year. But unsurprisingly, and especially for a project of this scale, some users of the trail say it's falling short of expectations so far.

Jakarta's "car-free days" are only the start of the city's long journey to becoming bike-friendly

2015-09-11T18:13:00-04:00

Ask a cyclist what it’s like to ride in Indonesia’s capital – a sprawling megalopolis of 10.2 million people...More than likely, they’ll tell you it’s outright dangerous...Car-free days may be popular, but there is almost no [cyclist] infrastructure... [However, there] is hope among cyclists that bike lanes will become a priority after the city’s [mass rapid transport] system is finished in 2019. In the meantime, several young innovators are taking matters into their own hands.

Largest wildlife overpass in U.S. proposed for L.A.'s 101 Freeway, could ease area's roadkill problem

2015-09-03T18:28:00-04:00

Mountain lions, bobcats and other wildlife would have less chance of becoming roadkill if [California] adopts a plan to build a [165-foot-wide, 200-foot-long] landscaped bridge over the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills...Urbanization has taken a toll on Southern California’s mountain lion population, spurring battles over shrinking territory and a depletion of genetic diversity because of inbreeding.

Related on Archinect:

How urban cities continue to veer toward new forms of mobility

2015-04-30T09:32:00-04:00

Gilles Vesco calls it the 'new mobility'. It’s a vision of cities in which residents no longer rely on their cars but on public transport, shared cars and bikes and, above all, on real-time data on their smartphones...'Multi-modal' and 'interconnectivity' are now the words on every urban planner’s lips...This model of denser, less car-dependent cities is becoming the accepted wisdom across the developed world.

Writer Stephen Moss talks to urban planners and transportation authorities around Europe to get a glimpse into how cities worldwide continue to wean themselves off car dependency and explore new forms of mobility, all while city density increases.

With newly proposed sky gondola, you could get from Brooklyn to Manhattan in less than four minutes

2014-09-16T14:05:00-04:00

A top real estate executive from Brooklyn is proposing a high-speed sky gondola between the Brooklyn waterfront and Manhattan — a back-to-the-future form of mass transit that could ease congestion on ferries, subways and bridges. The so-called East River Skyway would be comprised of high-speed aerial cable cars, moving New Yorkers to Manhattan in less than four minutes. The cars could accommodate more than 5,000 people per hour in both directions.

Why a bike city? Why not a mix of biking and transit?

2014-08-14T14:20:00-04:00

I see nothing wrong with replacing the hegemony of cars with the hegemony I am proposing, of bikes. Those who need buses would be no worse off than they are now. But a problem would come if a city like Amsterdam had a bike modal share of 90 percent, as could achieved if end-of-trip strategies were built into all buildings to eliminate the problem of bike theft, and if shelter removed the inequity of cycling being the one mode remaining where people get wet.

Winners of the 2014 DawnTown Alternative Mobilities competition

2014-06-10T18:42:00-04:00

Miami is one of several U.S. cities promoting the value of better city infrastructure and the existence of alternative modes of transportation, as emphasized in the Miami DDA Masterplan. In collaboration with the initiative, local non-profit group DawnTown hosted the Alternative Mobilities competition, which asked designers to create a new meeting space in Downtown Miami's Central Business District for people using these alternative transit strategies.

At the end of the competition, three winners were selected:

1st place: "The Catalyst" by Studio GeKo - Bastian Gerner, Pola Rebecca Koch (Arhus, Denmark)

2nd place: "Mobile Miami" by Jeff Jasinski and Matt Dureiko (Kent State University, Cleveland, Ohio)

3rd place: "MoPAD" by Michael Barker (New York City)

Check out videos of each winning submission below.

The PeopleForBikes Green Lane Project celebrates national kick-off in Indianapolis

2014-04-29T18:19:00-04:00

The Green Lane Project, established in 2012 by non-profit group PeopleForBikes, continues its ambitious mission to expedite the process of building more protected bike lines with six new U.S. cities in tow: Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and Seattle.

The program celebrated its national kickoff in Indianapolis today with transportation officials including U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, who discussed the Department's prioritization on improving bicycle and pedestrian safety as more Americans are looking for alternative methods of commuting.

Back in March, the program selected the six cities out of 100 that submitted letters of interest. In addressing each city's current situation, The Green Lane Project will provide each city with financial, strategic, and technical assistance in constructing the bike lanes, which are valued at more than $250,000. The on-street lanes are separated from traffic by curbs, planters, parked cars, or posts to help organize...

In Indianapolis, a Bike Path to Progress

2014-03-05T11:07:00-05:00

Before the path arrived, Indianapolis didn’t have a mainstream bike scene — just streets designed to improve traffic flow. Now, children and the elderly have joined the spandex swarms of longtime cycling enthusiasts... The public art along the trail accentuates the path’s role as a sculptor of the city’s evolving identity. For example, Donna Sink’s “Moving Forward” is a series of seven stained-glass-hued eco-friendly bus shelters covered in lines from poems by local writers.

NYC's Plaza Hotel call Citi Bikes an affront to architecture

2013-10-15T12:21:00-04:00

The Plaza hotel is suing the city and Citibank — complaining in scorching court papers that the block-long bike rack outside the landmark building is a traffic-clogging, advertising-festooned “eyesore.” The row of bright-blue Citi Bikes that now stands across from the hotel along Grand Army Plaza is an affront to both architecture and city drivers, according to the suit.